Here’s a letter from a Washington State Senator regarding a longer Washington State halibut season for 2017. This looks very promising, let’s keep our fingers and fishing rods crossed!

Dear friends and neighbors,

Two years ago, our regional halibut fishing season was reduced to just three days, with brutal consequences. The competition to harvest halibut in such a short window pushed businesses and employees to their limits and raised serious safety concerns. It was the kind of “accident waiting to happen” that we can’t afford to repeat, and we know folks out there remain wary.

In that light, we’d like to share what we know from a meeting Thursday with legislative staff and staff from the state Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. Though our halibut fishing season is determined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission and implemented by the National Marine Fisheries, our state officials have significant input and have requested a seven-day season for this year.

Dear friends and neighbors,

Two years ago, our regional halibut fishing season was reduced to just three days, with brutal consequences. The competition to harvest halibut in such a short window pushed businesses and employees to their limits and raised serious safety concerns. It was the kind of “accident waiting to happen” that we can’t afford to repeat, and we know folks out there remain wary.

In that light, we’d like to share what we know from a meeting Thursday with legislative staff and staff from the state Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. Though our halibut fishing season is determined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission and implemented by the National Marine Fisheries, our state officials have significant input and have requested a seven-day season for this year.

Fish & Wildlife staff say approval of their request is likely and that the final determination will be announced later this month. So we think prospects for this season look good. If the commission approves Fish & Wildlife’s request, this year’s halibut fishing season will take place on May 4, 6, 11, 21 and 25 and on June 1 and 4. In addition, if the halibut quota has not been exhausted on those dates, the season could be extended; if so, the additional dates would be posted on the Fish & Wildlife website at dfw.wa.gov.

If you would like to voice your priorities for future halibut seasons, including even specific dates you believe might be best, Fish & Wildlife holds a public comment period every November. To receive notification of when that comment period will take place, you can sign up for Fish & Wildlife’s email list server by emailing a request to Michele Culver at michele.culver@dfw.wa.gov.

A mark-selective Chinook season north of Cape Falcon begins May 30 off the Columbia
River and Westport, and May 16 off La Push and Neah Bay. This fishery ends June 12,
or when 10,000 marked Chinook are caught in all port areas combined.

The recreational fishery north of Cape Falcon opens to all salmon on June 13 and ends
September 30 or when Chinook or coho quotas are reached. The preseason coho quota
for all port areas combined is 150,800. For details, please see the season descriptions on
the Council website at http://www.pcouncil.org.

Washington and Northern Oregon (North of Cape Falcon)

Fisheries north of Cape Falcon (near Nehalem in northern Oregon) depend largely on
Columbia River stocks. Columbia River fall Chinook and coho returns are expected to
return at high levels. However, fisheries were constrained by measures to conserve
Chinook stocks in Puget Sound and coho stocks in the Queets River and the interior
Fraser River Basin.

North of Cape Falcon, there is an overall non-Indian total allowable catch of 131,000
Chinook and 170,000 marked hatchery coho.